


One Thing's For Certain

by violetstorm



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: 5+1 Format, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Sharing a Bed, Sleepy Cuddles, Vignettes, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-09 22:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20517623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetstorm/pseuds/violetstorm
Summary: All of the times Prompto wakes up next to Noctis (and all of the times he doesn't).(a series of related drabbles)





	1. Morning

**Author's Note:**

> this work was written with platonic promptis in mind, but there can be romance if you squint. will be updating with 2 chapters every couple of days ♡
> 
> i drafted this when i finally finished ffxv for the first time and needed a way to cope with my Suffering :')

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brotherhood-Era

☆ ☾ ☆

Prompto wakes up to the sun on his face— which is strange, ‘cause he never sleeps without the curtains drawn. He groans and wipes at his eyes, taking note of how soft his pillow is, how warm his comforter is. It’s too unfamiliar.

Cracking his eyes open, Prompto squints and looks around the bedroom, hazy memories slowly crawling to the forefront of his mind. And he’s reminded that yes, this is not his bedroom, it’s  _ Noct’s.  _ Sure enough, when Prompto looks to the other side of the bed, Noct’s laying down, facing Prompto and very much asleep.

His hair’s all mussed and fucked-up, moreso than usual. It’s not the first time Prompto’s seen Noct with bedhead, but here, it all feels so much more… intimate. And it’s not something for Prompto to see.

He crawls out of bed, slowly, so Noct doesn’t wake. He’s already overstepped his welcome by staying the night. Hell, he doesn’t even know how he let Noct convince him to stay. S’not like going home to an empty house was anything new, but it was really late and raining hard, too. Maybe Noct was just pitying him.

When Noct wakes, Prompto isn’t at his side.

☆ ☾ ☆

Waking up after an all-nighter is weird.

Prompto’s memories are all blurry and he doesn’t know when he and Noct finally passed out or what time it is now. The sun’s high in the sky, so they probably slept the entire morning away. Prompto looks over Noct’s living room and takes note of the damage they’ve caused.

There are empty pop bottles strewn about and pizza boxes with half-eaten (probably stale) pizza sitting inside. A pile of blankets sits on the ground (current inhabitants: one Noctis-shaped lump under the covers) and vaguely, Prompto remembers Noct pulling a monstrous amount of pillows and blankets from god-knows-where because the couch wasn’t comfortable enough. 

He’s got a splitting headache and Noct’s probably gonna get killed by Gladio later and he’ll get killed by Ignis for being a bad influence  _ and  _ his stomach hurts from the sheer amount of junk food he inhaled last night, but he’s also feeling strangely comfortable.

So Prompto flops down next to Noct and goes right back to sleep. His headache doesn’t seem as bad when he’s laying next to Noct.

☆ ☾ ☆

The sounds of the city below Noct’s apartment rouses Prompto from his slumber. He’s engulfed in a giant duvet and the chill of the morning bites into his skin. It’s weird, waking up to so much noise, but it’s nice, too. His house is in a relatively quiet area which is peaceful on good days, but on bad days, it makes everything feel a lot more empty.

The traffic is loud and there’s the steady rumble of chatter as people walk to wherever they need to go and there’s a dog barking in the distance. 

He needs to get out and go on his morning run, but as Prompto tries to slither out of bed, Noct’s arm shoots out across the covers and drags Prompto back underneath.

“Stay,” Noct slurs, voice laden with sleep. “S’ cold. Tired.”

Noct does this, without fail, everytime Prompto sleeps over. Before, he was terrified and would jet out of bed as soon as he could but now? Now he lets himself be dragged back into bed, his heart secretly soaring at the way Noct misses his presence.

It’s really warm under the covers. Prompto closes his eyes, letting the sounds of the world outside and Noct’s steady breaths carry him to sleep.

☆ ☾ ☆

Having a giant house when nobody really lives in it doesn’t make sense, Prompto thinks. Sure, it’s his house but his parents are never home and he practically lives at Noct’s apartment now. A big place with no people feels sad, empty.

Then Noct sleeps over, for the first time. They’re celebrating the end of exams with a movie marathon and for once, they’re choosing Prompto’s place. He doesn’t know why Noct wanted to see his house so badly—he’s got nothing to show and it’ll only disappoint Noct—but he’d relented under Noct’s begging.

Prompto’s bed isn’t big. It barely fits both him and Noct so they end up tangled under the covers in a mess of limbs. He doesn’t mind, though. Not one bit.

With Noct, his house finally feels like a home.


	2. Noon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roadtrip (Pre-Altissia)

☆ ☾ ☆

When Prompto wakes up and the first thing he sees is the roof of a tent, he almost panics. Then he remembers that oh, yeah, the Regalia kinda broke down, stranding everybody in Hammerhead when they’re supposed to be lounging in Galdin Quay.

The ground below is hard and uncomfortable and it’s weird to not wake up in a bed and he’s in a completely unfamiliar, terrifying place.

But Noct’s sleeping right next to Prompto and his touch, yeah, that’s familiar and nice and that makes things a little better.

☆ ☾ ☆

Insomnia falls and it’s not a dream. When Prompto opens his eyes, he blinks and rubs at them and tries to pretend that it didn’t happen. It doesn’t work. He’s in the Hunter HQ but he can still smell the smoke from Insomnia burning. He wonders if he’ll ever be able to get that stench out of his clothes.

He should get out of bed and leave the caravan, find Ignis and Gladio and see how they’re faring. But the world’s gone to shit outside— Noct’s the chosen-one or whatever and he needs to find weapons over Eos now instead of getting married like he’s supposed to and everything’s just too much right now.

Prompto’s not ready to face it. Not yet. (Maybe never).

The world’s turned upside-down and nothing’s the same anymore but waking up to Noct— that’s a constant and Prompto clings to it with all he has.

☆ ☾ ☆

It’s not uncommon for a sleeping Noct to hold whoever’s next to him in an iron grip. He’s a cuddlebug and it’s kinda adorable, especially with the way Noct always denies it when he’s awake.

(It’s hopeless. Prompto has an album full of photos of koala-Noct and he’s pretty sure Gladio’s got video proof too).

But one day, after a particularly rough night filled with more daemons and hunts and potions than Prompto would have liked, he wakes up to Noct holding onto him for dear life from behind. Prompto turns around in bed, ignoring the pain shooting through his side and eyes Noct.

“Hey,” Prompto says, his voice hoarse. “Morning. What’s up?”

Noct still hasn’t let go of him, his fingers gently running over Prompto’s bandages. “Shit, sorry, did I wake you up?”

“Nah. You’re good.”

“Good. That’s… good,” Noct says. He runs a hand through his hair, making it even more messy. “Sorry, I just— just wanted to… I was worried about you,” he finally admits. “Almost lost you yesterday. I needed to make sure that you were, y’know, here. And okay.”

Prompto wants to tell Noct that he doesn’t have to worry about him. He’s a crownsguard and he’s supposed to get hurt for Noct and he matters less than him in every way, anyways. But he just swallows and says, “Oh. Thanks, buddy.You really care a lot about me, huh?”

He tries to make it sound like a joke and adds a goofy smile for good measure. Noct’s face stays serious though— but his eyes grow a little softer as he says, “More than you’ll ever know.”

☆ ☾ ☆

Lestallum is  _ hot.  _ Hot, hot, hot. Hot as in, whoa, if Prompto liked the way he looked just a  _ teeny  _ bit more (okay, a lot more), he’d be tempted to pull a Gladio and walk around shirtless. The fan whirring in the Leville doesn’t do much but it’s something, he supposes.

He and Noct’s sharing a bed, of course and it’s  _ way  _ too hot for them to lay on top of each other like they usually do. The lack of contact is strange, though, and Prompto finds himself tentatively reaching out for Noct’s hand. He doesn’t need to hold it, he just needs to touch Noct and feel like he’s still there.

Noct takes Prompto’s hand without hesitation.

☆ ☾ ☆

Prompto wakes up in the motel and Noct’s right beside him, even if the sun’s pretty high in the sky. Ignis and Gladio are nowhere in sight so Prompto assumes they’re off readying the Regalia or something and he wonders why they didn’t wake him or why Noct’s up before him.

“Hey,” Noct says. “Morning.”

“Morning,” Prompto says, and stretches. “What’s up? What time is it? Why’re you awake so early?”

Noct laughs, nudging Prompto with his elbow. “One question at a time! Don’t worry, you didn’t really oversleep. I just convinced the others to let you lay in bed for a little bit longer.” And before Prompto can ask  _ why,  _ Noct continues with, “We were up late last night.”

Oh, yeah. That. When they had their Talk. In the moment, it felt good to get everything off his chest, but now, Prompto’s hearts constrict with shame and he burns red.

“Yeah, we were.” Prompto bites his lip. He remembers everything Noct said last night, his words running through his mind on replay. But still, he needs to ask. “Noct, did you… did you really mean everything you said last night?” He needs to know if it was just a heat-of-the-moment thing or if Noct really—

“Every single word,” Noct says, so assured that Prompto has no room to argue. 


	3. Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roadtrip (Post-Altissia)

☆ ☾ ☆

Prompto wakes up.

Noct does not.

Altissia was a goddamned disaster. Of course it would be. The time he spent with everyone when they first got to Altissia was too good to be true— great food and no daemons or hunts and no fear of MTs falling from the sky. The circles under Ignis’ eyes faded and Gladio laughed a lot more. Noct was happy, albeit a bit antsy, but his smile was sparkling.

And now he’s lying unconscious on a bed for the third day in a row and Ignis is blinded and Altissia is destroyed and Lady Lunafreya is dead and Prompto will never be able to meet her and thank her for the letter she wrote so many years ago.

(The scent of her perfume had long since faded when Prompto first went on this roadtrip from hell, but he always found himself re-reading her words and tracing her signature. He kept the letter with him throughout, always tucked away into his pocket and now it’s all that’s left of her).

Prompto’s body feels like lead. He should move and help some people or check up on Ignis but he doesn’t want to go outside and see the bodies floating in the canals from people who weren’t far away enough from Leviathan’s fury. He doesn’t want to see Altissia in ruins, when just earlier, he was admiring its beauty.

Prompto lays on Noct’s chest— carefully, so not to disturb his injuries— and listens to the thrum of his heartbeat.

☆ ☾ ☆

Trains are actually kinda peaceful. The sounds of the wheels chugging along and seeing the scenery zip by outside the windows can almost make Prompto believe that he’s on a trip to an exciting, new place.

Almost.

As it stands, Prompto wants nothing more than to get off this train and run far, far away. He can’t stand the tension in the air, so thick he can hardly breathe. He can still feel Gladio’s hand on his face and knows that Gladio’s words are still ringing in Noct’s ears.

Noct fell asleep crying, last night, and when Prompto wakes in the morning, he can still see the tear tracks along Noct’s cheeks.

Prompto adjusts himself so he’s sitting upright and lays a hand on Noct’s shoulder. The world outside can wait. For now, he’s going to stay with Noct, until he wakes.

☆ ☾ ☆

It’s too quiet.

Prompto’s attributed mornings at camp to be a noisy mess, in the good way. Ignis would be tinkering away and making their breakfast, while Gladio would be doing his morning reps and in the distance, he’d usually be able to hear some beasts.

In Fodina Caestino, there’s none of that. It’s eerily quiet and it’s ten am. The sun’s only risen an hour ago. Gladio and Ignis left the tent— Gladio’s probably making breakfast and Iggy’s, well… probably trying to help.

He’s too scared to leave the tent. Yesterday was filled with arguments and yelling (mostly from Gladio and Noct) as they tried to traverse the dungeon and Prompto’s not ready to see the other two just yet. When Prompto turns over in his sleeping bag, he sees that Noct’s awake, eyes shining.

He’s scared, too.

“Hey,” Noct whispers. 

“Hey.” Prompto shuffles closer and Noct wraps an arm around him.

He feels a little less worried already.

☆ ☾ ☆

Prompto wakes up slowly, then all at once. 

His body feels like it’s been trampled by a garula or two and then cut up by one of Ignis’ daggers. At first, he’s groggy and announces his wake with a pained moan, but a chuckle by his ears makes his eyes snap right open and everything comes flooding back.

Magiteks. Noct. Running. Airships. Ardyn. _ Noct— _

He’s in a facility (Zegnatty-something? He can’t remember; his mind’s been scrambled since he fell <strike>was pushed</strike> off the train). Ardyn’s here. Ardyn’s captured him and he’s been having _ fun _ever since. This time, though, Prompto’s not strung up like some kind of fucked-up display. He’s laying on a bed which is nice but his injuries still hurt like a bitch which isn’t that nice.

“Good morning, Prompto,” Ardyn coos except it’s not Ardyn, it’s _ Noct. _He’s completely alone but he blinks and suddenly Noct’s standing in front of him at the edge of the bed.

It’s always worse when it’s Noct.

“Did you sleep well? Are your injuries still hurting you?” He sounds so much like Noct and Prompto wants to close his eyes and pretend that Noct’s really here, that Noct’s here to rescue him and everything will be okay.

But he knows Noct, knows him better than he knows anybody else. He knows that when Noct’s concerned, he gets those little lines in his forehead and he furrows his brows (but only when he’s not trying to hide it). He knows that by now, Noct would have pressed the back of his hand to Prompto’s forehead or offered a potion or simply sat on the bed for support. Not stand there, watching him with a coldness in his eyes.

Prompto musters up the rest of the energy he has left and spits into Ardyn’s face.

☆ ☾ ☆

It’s Prompto’s injuries that force him awake. He jolts upward in bed with a gasp and he’s ready to start hyperventilating before he notices the weight on the bed next to him and the hand rubbing his back, right between his shoulder blades.

“Prompto! Are you alright? Don’t worry, you’re safe.”

Prompto turns his head to meet Noct’s eyes— the _ real _Noct— and smiles. “Yeah. Sorry about that. Thanks, buddy. Almost forgot where I was for a second.”

“Was it a nightmare, or—”

“Uh-huh,” Prompto says, and cringes. “I don’t… really wanna talk about it right now.”

“That’s fine. Uh, do you need anything right now? Like, a potion, or..?”

“Nah. I’m good.” Prompto rubs at his barcode— uncovered, for maybe the first time in his life. Noct’s eyes flit to it for a second and it’s enough to get Prompto’s heart beating frantically again. He thinks back to conversation last night, after Noct rescued him, and another conversation they had under the stars. “Um, actually? Can I ask you for one more thing?”

“Anything.”

“Can you just… tell me that you meant everything last night? I… I know you weren’t lying, but I just need to hear it. I want to know that it was all real.” The words fall off his tongue before he realizes it and Noct, thankfully, understands him through his word-vomit.

“It was real, Prompto,” Noct says, gently. “And I meant every word. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what somebody decided you should be at birth. You’re my friend and that’s all that matters to me. And if somebody says you’re any less of a Lucian than me, or Gladio, or Ignis, then I’ll kick their ass. You’re good enough for me, Prompto.”

_ You’re good enough for me. _

☆ ☾ ☆

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (i finished episode prompto today and turned into a pile of goo so i was finally able to write about the aftermath of the "ever at your side" scene which lived up to all my expectations. episode prompto is.... so, so painful and i'm lov)


	4. Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> World of Ruin

☆ ☾ ☆

According to the clock, it’s eight am when Prompto wakes up. The sky outside is pitch-black and the sun’s nowhere in sight. He reaches over to the other side of the bed out of habit and nobody’s there. No surprise.

It’s been a week. He should be used to Noct’s absence by now.

☆ ☾ ☆

But a lifetime (at least, it feels like one) of waking up next to Noct means that Prompto still wakes up expecting to see black hair scattered over the pillows or blue eyes staring into his. He’s hurt all over again every time he remembers that Noct’s gone.

☆ ☾ ☆

One year in and sleep’s a lot harder to come by when there’s nothing worth waking up for, now that there’s nobody to greet him.

☆ ☾ ☆

He stops expecting to see Noct three years into the darkness (not counting those unexpected times where his brain likes to play tricks on him). But it’s more like a heavy resignation, a dull feeling that eats at his bones. Something akin to disappointment.

Ignis and Gladio are concerned. Prompto should be too, but he can’t muster up the energy to care. 

☆ ☾ ☆

He wishes he can stop crying himself to sleep and crying when he wakes up ‘cause Noct’s gone. He keeps telling himself that Noct will come back and he only has to wait, but he’s never been good at waiting.

☆ ☾ ☆

Prompto’s biggest fear is waking up one day and finding it normal that Noct’s gone. He doesn’t want to ever get used to it. It’ll mean that he’s forgotten what it’s like to be without Noct, or he’s getting over Noct and trashing his memory, or… or—

Coping with Noct’s absence shouldn’t feel as scary and abnormal and as painful as it does. And Prompto hates himself, moreso than he’s ever hated himself in the past, for considering it sometimes, even if he knows it’s the right thing.

☆ ☾ ☆

The idea of finally seeing Noct again begins to become the only thing that keeps Prompto going. He keeps wishing to see Noct when he opens his eyes every night.

(He’d wish on a shooting star, if there were still any stars left)

☆ ☾ ☆

Barely five years in and Prompto finally breaks down in Ignis’ apartment. He’s crying and screaming and he’s an absolute mess and he tires himself out pretty quickly, passing out on Ignis.

When he wakes up, he’s half-laying on Ignis and Ignis is delicately stroking his hair. Prompto feels like a child again but next to Iggy, it doesn’t feel like he’s being coddled.

It’s not the same as waking up with Noct (nothing will ever be), but it’s the first shred of comfort Prompto’s felt in ages. He grabs Ignis’ hand and clutches it to his chest.

He feels a lot less alone.

☆ ☾ ☆


	5. Somewhere Between (Sorrow and Bliss)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten years later.

☆ ☾ ☆

Prompto wakes and he’s hit by a wave of nostalgia, something he hasn’t felt in ten years. He keeps his eyes shut, intending on savouring the moment, for fear that it’ll just be another dream or illusion. 

(It wouldn’t be the first time Prompto’s been fooled).

He smells Noct, senses his warmth under the covers on the other side of the bed. He hears him typing away on his phone with the occasional  _ huff  _ or chuckle he tries to keep under his breath. It’s fake, it’s all fake. He’s not underground with the glaives, resting in a bunker. He’s not back in Insomnia. Ardyn’s messing with him again, that’s the only explanation Prompto will take.

Prompto opens his eyes and he’s greeted by the sight of Noct with his eyes locked on the screen and his lips pressed together. That’s when Noct notices he’s awake. He puts his phone away with a smile and reaches out to touch Prompto’s shoulder. His touch is warm, is soft, is  _ real.  _ Prompto jolts upwards and grabs Noct’s hand, just to make sure.

Noct’s grip is sturdy. He’s here. He’s really here. 

“Hey,” Noct says. “Sleep well?”

Yes. Better than Prompto’s ever slept in ten years. Those years of waking up alone are just a bad memory, shoved into the corner of his mind. Noct’s here, he’s finally here and all that waiting was worth it.

“Yeah,” Prompto says. He leans against Noct, desperate to feel him. “What about you? When’d you get up?”

“Not too long before you. Just didn’t wanna leave you hanging, y’know? Figured that you’d be tired of waking up without me.”

Noct gives Prompto a wry grin. And sure, his hair’s a little shaggier and he’s lost most of his bangs. Sure, he’s covered in dirt and his skin’s a little tougher and his features are a lot more mature. But underneath it all, it’s Noct, the same Noct that Prompto remembers.

“Don’t you know it.”

“Sorry,” Noct mumbles, looking away. “Didn’t mean to keep you waiting for so long.”

Prompto buries his face into Noct’s shoulder. “Don’t apologize. I’m just happy you’re here now.”

For however long Noct will get to stay before he has to fulfill the prophecy. Dimly, Prompto wants to tell Noct to ditch the prophecy. To forget it. Their lives have always been scripted from the very start. The only difference is, Prompto was able to escape and defy his intended purpose when he was created. Noct can’t and it’s just unfair.

If Prompto could switch their positions, take all of Noct’s burdens and fears and worries, he’d do it in a heartbeat. Noct deserves that much. He deserves to be selfish.

Noct’s gaze is heavy, though, and it tells Prompto that there’s nothing they can do now.

“Prompto, I just…” Noct exhales. “I just wanted to say… thanks, I guess.” He lifts his head to lock gazes with Prompto, determination resolute in his eyes. “Thanks for waiting for me and… staying with me through everything.”

“I toldja, didn’t I?  _ ‘Ever at your side.’  _ I still mean it, Noct. I’ll stay with you for as long as I can.”

_ Until the end.  _

It’s too painful to voice those words, even if Noct knows them already.

Noct sighs. “Thanks, Prompto. You’re the best friend a guy could ever ask for.”

“Right back at ‘cha, buddy,” Prompto says. “Thank you.”

Thanks for tolerating me when I was a stupid kid in high school trying to impress you. Thanks for dealing with my ridiculous texts at three am. Thanks for introducing me to Ignis and Gladio. Thanks for letting me talk to Lady Lunafreya in your notebook. Thanks for giving me a home when I only had a house. Thanks for inviting me along to your roadtrip and wedding.

Thanks for keeping me even if I wasn’t as strong or brave as the others. Thanks for helping me through caves and dungeons and hunts 'cause I was too weak to take care of myself. Thanks for holding me on those nights when I couldn’t stop shaking. Thanks for trusting me in Altissia, blindly jumping just ‘cause I asked. Thanks for rescuing me.

Thank you, for being my friend.

Noct just nods. He understands everything, even all the things Prompto's not saying, and he's never been more grateful. He’s glad to have been able to stand by Noct’s side and he wouldn’t give it for anything else in the world. If he could, he'd choose to stay in this moment forever.

(Outside, he hears a demon’s heavy footsteps and he knows they’re running out of time).

☆ ☾ ☆


	6. Dawn.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-game.

☀

For the first time in ten years, Prompto wakes up to peace.

He wakes to the sound of a busy street and construction. He wakes to the sound of laughter and happiness. He’s in a soft bed for once, in a building that offers a great view of the city below. Sure, there’s a couple cracks in the walls and the floors are dusty, but it’s a safe place he can call home.

And, most importantly, he wakes up to a bright room, the sun on his face. It’s warm, blissfully so, thanks to the curtains pulled wide open. He never sleeps with them closed anymore. The other side of the bed is empty, and if he closes his eyes, maybe he can pretend that somebody’s there, under the covers.

Prompto takes a deep breath, savouring the warmth of dawn. He looks to the other side of the bed, the one filled by the sun’s light.

“Mornin’ Noct,” he says and he pulls himself out of bed to greet another day.

☀

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (did anybody notice the parallels between this one and the first drabble? :> heh, thanks for reading <3)


End file.
